He smiled. He was tired too, but he would gladly be tired for the rest of his days if he got to spend every night like he had last night with her. “Me too.”
He cupped her face, and she leaned into his hand as she closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes, he found them swimming in tears as her little lip wobbled a bit. “I’m sorry you had to deal with all that.”
“You don’t apologize for that fucker, Lucy.”
She paused, looking up at him. “You’re right. I’m sorry I snapped at you for just doing what a man who cares for someone would do.” His heart fluttered as his lips curved. He held her gaze as she cleared her throat. “It just really hard with him, and I’m not used to someone wanting to stand up for me against him.”
“Well, get used to it, baby. I’m not going anywhere.”
She let out a long breath, shaking her head. “That’s the thing, Benji. You can’t. He will use it against me.”
Benji gave her an incredulous look. “How in the world can he use me standing up for you against you? I don’t understand. You don’t matter to him. The only thing that should matter is Angie and her best interests.”
When her lip started to tremble harder, he took her by her hips and a tear rolled down her cheek. Reaching up, he wiped her face free. “Don’t cry, baby. Please.”
But the tears kept coming. “He wants to go week on/week off with me. Where I would get her one week, he would get her the next, and so on. Angie can’t do that. She needs stability. With her ADHD, she needs the consistency, the reassurance of permanency. She loves her school, they honor her 504 Plan, and we are comfortable there. He isn’t in her school district. And I know he won’t drive her, he’ll try to get me to drive her to his school district.”
“That’s stupid, though. It’s not ideal for Angie.”
“It doesn’t matter. He’s doing this to hurt me. I know he is because he doesn’t care at all about what Angie needs. He says that I used the ADHD as a shield, something to keep her in my clutches, when that’s not it. I want her to have a daddy, someone who loves her and whom she can trust. But I told him I don’t want her in dance, that she feels like she’s being ignored., And he said he feels they can be better parents, and Benji—” Her voice broke and he took her in his arms, his heart shattering in his chest as she sobbed. Holding him tightly, she pressed her face to his chest, clenching his shirt in her fist. “I can’t do that. I can’t go week to week. If it would benefit her, then, yes, I could understand and I would deal. But it won’t. She comes home from his house and it takes a day or two to get her back to who she is. Happy and carefree. She is better with me, I know it, and he makes me question that.”
“Lucy, don’t you dare,” he said roughly against her temple. “That won’t happen. He won’t get her, there is no way. He’s a dick—anyone can see that.”
“Yes, I know. But he has the family—the wife, the daughter, a steady job. It makes me so nervous. He’s looking for anything, and it scares me. It scares me so damn bad,” she said, her body shaking as her words were muffled. He leaned in to hear her as she whispered, “He wanted me to keep River away from her. I refused and now he’s added you.” Pausing to sniff hard, she looked up at him and shook her head. “She would be devastated if I told her she couldn’t see you.”
“Me too,” he admitted, his throat tight with emotion.
“And I would be devastated.”
Holding her close, he leaned his head to hers, kissing her temple. “That won’t happen. Remember that fighting you for you thing I have no problem doing? This falls into that category. I’m sorry, but I won’t let you.”
She tried to smile, but the tears came faster and she slowly shook her head. “I just don’t know what to do. He scares the living shit out of me.”
“He can’t touch you, and he won’t get Angie. It won’t happen,” he repeated, holding her and kissing her temple. “I promise.”
“Benji, you can’t promise that.”
“Well, I’m promising it,” he said roughly, kissing her once more.
“He wants me to break up with you,” she whispered against his neck and he froze. “He texted that at lunch.”
He held his breath. “What did you say?”
“I told him to fuck off,” she said softly. “And he said I better hope Angie never says that you touch her. He’s such a fucking asshole!” she yelled against his chest, her fist balling up as her body broke with a sob.
His eyes fell shut as she clung to him, his fingers biting into her ribs as his heart ached. “Lucy, I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. Tell me what I can do.”
“Hold me. Just hold me.”
“Done,” he whispered, kissing her once more, and he did. He held her as she cried, and he really didn’t know what to do. He had been sure she was going to throw the mom card in his face, but she didn’t. She clung to him, needed him, and it pleased him to no end. But the issue of Rick was still so strong. He really didn’t understand the dude. He had moved on, had a wife and daughter, so why was he so worried about Lucy? Why wasn’t she allowed to be happy? To move on, too?